This invention relates to a baler for forming round bales of agricultural crop material, and more particularly to a wrap material dispensing system for an agricultural round baler.
A round baler is typically provided with either a twine wrap system or a mesh or net wrap system, in which a mesh or net wrap material is applied to the outer surface of the bale. A twine wrap system is typically located in the front of the baler, which provides the user with visual access during the wrapping operation to ensure that twine is properly being dispensed from the twine system and applied to the bale.
Net or mesh wrap systems typically are mounted to the rear of the baler, such that the components of the system are not visible to the user, who is typically seated on the seat of a tow vehicle such as a tractor. Further, wrap material dispensing systems typically are contained within a housing to enclose the moving parts of the system, which also hinders visual access. While wrap material systems typically incorporate sensors for controlling operation of the system according to certain wrapping parameters, it is often the case that a malfunction in the system is not detected until a significant amount of wrap material has been dispensed, and either improperly applied to the bale or caught elsewhere in the components of the baler. The user must then stop operation of the baler and remove the improperly dispensed material, and then initiate a subsequent wrapping operation to wrap the bale. This entails a significant loss of time as well as a waste of wrap material. Alternatively, if the wrap material is not properly engaged with the advancement mechanism, the wrap material may not be dispensed onto the bale at all and the user may not be made aware of this condition until a significant amount of time has passed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an operation sensor for a wrap material dispensing system in a round baler, which is operable to detect advancement of the wrap material and to provide a visual indication of wrap material advancement to the user. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a system which can easily be incorporated into the components of the round baler. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a system in which the visual indication of wrap material dispensing is incorporated into an existing visual display. A still further object of the invention is to provide such a system which provides a user with a visual indication of different speeds of advancement of the wrap material, to enable the user to know when the wrap material is engaged with the belts of the baler.
In accordance with the present invention, an operation sensor for a wrap material dispensing system of a round baler includes a wrap material advancing arrangement which is operable to advance wrap material from a wrap material supply arrangement toward a wrap material feeding arrangement associated with the baler. The wrap material feeding arrangement is operable to supply the wrap material to a wrap material inlet of the baler for application to the bale. The wrap material advancing arrangement includes at least one roller located upstream of the wrap material feeding arrangement and with which the wrap material is engaged. The wrap material advancing roller is operable upon rotation to advance the wrap material toward the wrap material feeding arrangement, and the roller is stationary when the wrap material is not being advanced.
The operation sensor of the present invention functions to detect rotation of the wrap material advancing roller, which corresponds directly to advancement of the wrap material. In one form, rotation of the wrap material advancing roller is sensed by means of a magnet which is rotatable along with the wrap material advancing roller. The magnet is carried by a disc member interconnected with a shaft to which the wrap material advancing roller is mounted, such that rotation of the wrap material advancing roller causes rotation of the disc member through the shaft. A sensor is mounted in the vicinity of the disc member, and passage of the magnet past the sensor actuates the sensor to provide an input for each revolution of the wrap material advancing roller. The sensor is interconnected with a processor associated with the baler, which in turn is interconnected with a visual display located in the vicinity of the user, e.g. in the cab of the tow vehicle. As the wrap material is advanced, the sensor inputs are converted by the processor to a count of the number of revolutions of the wrap material advancing roller, which is displayed on the visual display to provide a visual indication to the user of an ascending count of roller revolutions as the wrap material is advanced by the roller.
The wrap material advancing arrangement is operable to engage the leading end of the wrap material with the wrap material feeding arrangement, which utilizes the wrap belts of the baler to advance the wrap material toward the wrap material inlet of the baler. The wrap material is advanced at a first rate of speed by the wrap material advancing arrangement, and subsequently is advanced at a second rate of speed greater than the first rate of speed when the wrap material is engaged with the wrap material feeding arrangement. The wrap material remains in engagement with the wrap material advancing roller when the wrap material is moved toward the wrap material inlet by the wrap material feeding arrangement. The wrap material advancing roller includes a mechanism, such as an overrunning clutch, to enable it to rotate at a rapid speed of rotation in response to advancement of the wrap material by the wrap material feeding arrangement. The speed of rotation of the wrap material advancing roller corresponds directly to the rate of advancement of the wrap material, such that the frequency of the ascending count on the visual display increases when the wrap material is advanced by the wrap material feeding arrangement. In this manner, the ascending count on the visual display enables a user to first ascertain that the wrap material is being advanced by the wrap material advancing arrangement, and to subsequently ascertain that the wrap material has been engaged by the wrap material feeding arrangement for supply to the wrap material inlet and application to the bale. After the wrap material has been applied and cut, the wrap material is no longer advanced and rotation of the wrap material advancing roller stops, so that the count number on the visual display is stopped and the user is provided with a visual indication that wrap material is no longer being dispensed.
The invention contemplates an operation sensor for a wrap material dispensing system as set forth in the foregoing summary, as well as an improvement in a wrap material dispensing system and a method of monitoring operation of a wrap material dispensing system, substantially in accordance with the foregoing summary.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.